President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Kyrgyzstan coincides with a period when relations between official Baku and Bishkek are entering a new stage, and Azerbaijan's political and economic ties with Central Asia are taking on a more systematic character.
Modern.az spoke with Kayrat Osmonaliyev, former Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan. During the interview, issues such as the current level of Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan relations, the prospects of the Middle Corridor, Azerbaijan's policy on Central Asia, and the future of cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) were touched upon.
- Mr. Osmonaliyev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is again in Kyrgyzstan. How do you evaluate his current visit in terms of the modern stage of Baku-Bishkek relations? What is the main change in the content of bilateral relations in recent years?
- I believe that President Ilham Aliyev's current visit to Kyrgyzstan is very important both symbolically and practically. Today, this visit can no longer be evaluated as a separate event, but in the general context of the processes that have taken place in recent months. On August 31, 2026, President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Kyrgyzstan to participate in the events of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This is especially important because Azerbaijan is increasingly actively involved in the political processes taking place in and around Central Asia. The participation of the Azerbaijani leader in Bishkek within the framework of the SCO shows how closely the spaces of Central Asia, the Caspian basin and the South Caucasus are connected with each other today.
However, if we talk directly about Kyrgyzstan-Azerbaijan relations, their current state is determined, first of all, by Ilham Aliyev's historic state visit to Kyrgyzstan on July 30-31 this year. Why do I call this visit historic? Because on July 31, Presidents Sadyr Japarov and Ilham Aliyev signed an Agreement on Alliance Relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan. With this, relations rose to a qualitatively new stage.
At the same time, a broad package of documents covering energy, transport, cybersecurity, education, financial regulation and other areas was signed. This is no longer just diplomatic friendship and even only strategic partnership. It is about the transition of relations to an alliance model. I think this is the main change: political trust between Bishkek and Baku is beginning to translate into economic, infrastructure and institutional projects. This is the most important point today. It is very easy to sign a declaration in international relations. It is more difficult to create institutions, funds, transport routes, joint ventures, educational programs and legal mechanisms that will work for decades. Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan are currently approaching this stage.
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- You have represented Kyrgyzstan as ambassador to Azerbaijan for a long time and are closely familiar with the political environment of this country. What is the attitude towards Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev's regional policy in Kyrgyzstan today?
- Today, Azerbaijan is perceived in Kyrgyzstan in a completely different way than a few years ago. Previously, the basis of mutual interest was historical kinship, cultural proximity and belonging to the Turkic world. All this retains its importance. However, a new component has been added to this - pragmatic geopolitics. Kyrgyzstan sees Azerbaijan as a state with serious political weight in the South Caucasus, strategic access to the Caspian Sea, developed transport infrastructure and opportunities to advance the interests of Central Asia in the western direction.
At the same time, Azerbaijan, first of all, demonstrates its ability to pursue an independent foreign policy based on its national interests. I worked in Azerbaijan in 2021-2024 and had the opportunity to directly observe these processes. Therefore, I can say that one of the main features of Azerbaijan's foreign policy is the reconciliation of pragmatism, strategic planning and active use of the country's geographical position. This experience is currently also of interest to Central Asia.
At the same time, I do not consider it correct to speak of some
